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Weekend Sale: Non-GMO Project Verified Products
| Meet the Blogger | More Posts by Paige Brady
As American consumers, we have a right to know what we are eating. One of the important choices anyone can make is whether or not to eat foods containing GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms, also called genetically engineered ingredients). Because GMOs are pervasive in our food supply, many familiar foods we sell may contain them. And because food manufacturers are not required to label them, many Americans are not even aware that GMOs are in many of their favorite foods.
As America’s leading retailer of natural and organic foods, Whole Foods Market® is proud to support GMO choice and transparency, such as supporting labeling efforts like Proposition 37 in California and also by providing our customers with the most Non-GMO and organic products available anywhere. And we are really excited to announce that all Whole Foods Market® stores in the US and Canada will have hundreds of Non-GMO Project Verified products on sale this weekend, from Friday, October 19 through Sunday, October 21.
We’ve supported mandatory product labeling measures over the years, most recently California’s Proposition 37 and Washington State’s Initiative Measure 522, with the hope that these state efforts will lead to one federal standard. We also work one-on-one with hundreds of our supplier partners to encourage them to get their ingredients from Non-GMO sources.
Here are some ways you can avoid GMOs while supporting ingredient choice and transparency:
- Go organic! The USDA National Organic Standards do not allow genetically engineered seed and ingredients in the growth and production of organic foods.
- Look for the Non-GMO Project Verified seal, which indicates the product has passed a third-party verification program indicating that a product has been produced according to best practices and procedures to avoid the intentional use of GMO ingredients.
- Buy 365 Everyday Value® organic food products and plant-based non-organic 365 Everyday Value® food products -- both sourced to avoid genetically engineered ingredients.
- Shop our Non-GMO Project Verified sale this weekend!
Please celebrate Non-GMO month with us by taking advantage of our sale this weekend. Beyond this weekend and this month, if having non-GMO options are important to you, purchase from companies whose products are non-GMO verified and show your support for organics.
146 Comments
Comments
I'm a new shopper at Whole Foods and after reading about the non-GMO product sale, I am wondering if the store also sells foods that contain GMOs
10/18/2012 8:59:14 AM CDT
I love that WF is taking a stand and supporting non-GMO products. I am grateful I have a place where I can shop with peace of mind.
10/18/2012 9:25:24 AM CDT
Thank you Whole Foods for all you do to provide great food grown or raised organically, non-GMO and humanely. We do have a choice and hopefully awareness of unhealthy practices will encourage more and more people to choose safe options for themselves and their families.
10/18/2012 9:34:41 AM CDT
I do not know why it took Whole Foods so long to support labeling of GMO's. I am glad you are now on board.I like to know what is in my food before I buy it. It would be nice if you offered more organic food.
10/18/2012 10:06:45 AM CDT
Although Whole Foods has finally publicly stated its support for Proposition 37 in California to label GMO products, I understand that Whole Foods has not supported the initiative by donating any money to the campaign. Is this true? On the other side, I understand that firms such as Monsanto and other suppliers of GMO have donated millions to defeat the proposition.
10/18/2012 10:24:14 AM CDT
I hope you have decided to support Prop 37 and Measure 522 with your dollars, they need your help and time is running out
10/18/2012 10:24:16 AM CDT
I was hoping this sale would also provide a list of all store items on sale so we could easily shop for Non-GMO items on same without searching every shelf of the store. I hope once I arrive tomorrow the labels are clear as to what is on sale and what is Non-GMO. Seems Whole Foods could help with the guess work by labeling all items you carry in the store as either Non-GMO or not. Maybe by taking the lead on this you can help force the issue with vendors that don't yet see a need to switch.
10/18/2012 10:37:09 AM CDT
What monetary contritutions has Whole Foods made to Prop 37?????
10/18/2012 10:43:36 AM CDT
THANKYOU! My bocott of Whole Foods is now over.
10/18/2012 11:29:20 AM CDT
That's very good to hear, but will Whole Foods continue to sale the NON-GMO Project Verified foods from now on.
10/18/2012 11:32:01 AM CDT
@JANE and @ROSE - We don’t contribute to political campaigns, ballot initiatives, etc. as a policy set by company leadership who recognize that Whole Foods Market represents the viewpoints of a wide variety of customers and other stakeholders. However, we have heard feedback from our customers about finding additional ways to support this important effort and we are currently evaluating what more we can do to help with getting CA Prop 37 passed. Stay tuned.
10/18/2012 11:32:14 AM CDT
I used to see WholeFoods as a pillar of standards for other grocery stores, but Ever since I saw the Organic Spies video on WF, I felt betrayed and have not shopped there (which I used to on a weekly basis). It's going to take some time for me to TRUST your brand and company again. It's going to take more than a little NON-GMO weekend sale and merely stating that you support Prop37 before I spend a dime in your store.
-megan
Dallas, TX
10/18/2012 11:36:37 AM CDT
Thank you for supporting Prop 37. I was starting to get concerned. I hope next time Whole Foods will be little more proactive and fund or lobby for labelling efforts across North America.
From a loyal customer in Ontario, Canada.
10/18/2012 11:47:24 AM CDT
Have you decided to donate money to actually support Proposition 37 or are you continuing to fool your loyal customers?
10/18/2012 11:50:46 AM CDT
You are making money off the consumers desire to have truth in their food so how much money are you donating to Label Gmo's and stand on the side of the consumers? We will not forget. Greenwashing with PR is gravy but which side are you really on? Do not give us the political mumbo jumbo and hogwash when we know you direct funds to benefit your interest when you desire and see fit. Your charter is to protect your profits. Well protect them because right now many can see past the smooth PR of a large corporation who needs protect profits. Protect the people. We are your profit.
10/18/2012 11:55:39 AM CDT
My boycott of Whole Foods is not over yet. We have yet to see WF support Prop 37 financially. Whole Foods is supposed to be WHOLE, healthy, NON GMO, good for the body, etc. You are not even representing the name of your store. WF should not be selling any GMO products. You deceive your customers and I cannot support that deception. I loved (notice the past tense?) Whole Foods. I think the employees that work there are amazing. It was once on of my favorite stores to just even peruse, but now I'm mad. I'm mad that I was deceived into believing that Whole Foods only allowed 100% organic products into their store, that there was an intense process for companies to pass to get their food on the shelves. I believed that WH was provided the highest quality of organic products for me and my family. I am sorely disappointed. I have many friends in the health and wellness world and I have been spreading the truth to them. All of them are patrons of WF, but are reconsidering because of this deception. Until WF completely removes GMO products off their shelves and donates actual $$ to Prop 37 I will not be a supporter of Whole Foods. Any GMO products that WF carries is in support of Monsanto. You cannot talk out of both sides of your mouth. Pick a side. Monsanto or us. Until then...
10/18/2012 12:11:32 PM CDT
Thank you, Whole Foods. And thank you for letting us gather signatures in front of your stores. You've been a big help for this effort. Yes on prop 37!
10/18/2012 12:15:17 PM CDT
I think I will go to my local whole foods and see if they are being true to their word. I'm thinking next weekend i will go to your store that is local to me and try some of your products that you claim to be gmo free and we will see.
If next weekends headlines state GIRL WITH SEVERE CANOLA REACTION DIES AT WHOLEFOODS DUE TO IMPROPER FOOD LABELING. CLEANUP IN AISLE 2. FULL STORY AT 11... or not. I guess we shall see. Feel free to let me know before hand if you feel this would be a bad idea. I'm hoping you are true to your GMO free claim and I will make it out of the store alive.
10/18/2012 12:30:56 PM CDT
I am so happy that Whole Foods is taking a step forward on the non-GMO issue. It is such a piece of mind to know that I can grab any 365 product and rest assure that it will not contain any GMO products! I personally believe it has never worked out when we mess with the recipie that nature has provided.
10/18/2012 12:37:53 PM CDT
Best thing Whole Foods can do is label all your GMOs. Stop calling them "natural". GMOs are not natural and should not have a "Natural" label even though it may still be legal to do so.
10/18/2012 12:44:32 PM CDT
@Nikki, prop 37 is not a political issue, it is a food safety issue. WF advertises as a business that cares about food quality and safety, so maybe you should change your policy, and fight for the issues you claim to care about. Big money, greed and profit are now controlling our food industry at the cost of people, and the global ecosystem. Does WF care about people and the planet, or do they care about profit? Support prop 37, and label everything in your store. Create your own labels and help the public find foods that are safe. WF needs to help to educate the public about GMOs; be a hero at this crucial tipping point, be a leader and the public will support you.
10/18/2012 1:08:33 PM CDT
Glad you are addressing GMO's. As a customer I thought Whole Foods already screened their products to keep GMO's out. This was concerning as the news broke that some of your products contained GMO's. I am so oppose to GMO's, and do not want to fee my family nor myself these foods. We need all hands on deck to push the FDA to require labeling.
10/18/2012 1:11:46 PM CDT
Dear Whole Foods CEOs John Mackey & Walter Robb:
You state here: "We’ve supported mandatory product labeling measures over the years, most recently California’s Proposition 37 and Washington State’s Initiative Measure 522, with the hope that these state efforts will lead to one federal standard"
Really? If that is really true, then why won't you put your financial might behind these otherwise empty words? Right now opponents of Prop 37 (that would largely be Monsanto & friends) are spending over 1 million dollars A DAY with deceptive ad campaigns fighting Prop 37. While Prop 37 supporters are many, it is a grassroots effort that can't possibly keep up with such well-funded lies (yes, I said LIES).
Please, I beg you as a long-time & continuing customer of Whole Foods, PUT YOUR MONEY behind this claim of support. And while you're at it, please proactively TRAIN your ENTIRE STAFF about the issues of GMOs & their actual presence through-out your stores. Educated staff & educated consumers are the way to continue & build on the philosophical traditions upon which Whole Foods was founded.
According to Wikipedia, Walter Robb said of the company's core values: "The deepest core of Whole Foods, the heartbeat, if you will, is this mission, this stakeholder philosophy: customers first, then team members, balanced with what’s good for other stakeholders, such as shareholders, vendors, the community, and the environment. If I put our mission in simple terms, it would be, No. 1, to change the way the world eats, and No. 2, to create a workplace based on love and respect. We believe business should meet the needs of all the stakeholders, as opposed to operating it for shareholders."
And according to your "Declaration of Interdependence (from this very site): "It is our dissatisfaction with the current reality, when compared with what is possible, that spurs us toward excellence and toward creating a better person, company, and world."
Please, do what you know is right and stand behind Proposition 37 with as much financial force as you can muster. It is only the 1st step in removing dangerous GMO products from our grocery shelves altogether, but it is perhaps the most important.
Thank you
Bitsa Burger
burgerink@Pon.net
10/18/2012 1:17:09 PM CDT
I am very thankful that as a mother and grandmother and holistic nutritionist WF has stepped up to protect our rights ! I will have much more peace of mind knowing that my right to choose is being protected!
10/18/2012 1:31:02 PM CDT
@SAM - Since our products vary between store locations, we did not list what will be on sale on this post. Reach out to your local store and they can let you know what will be on sale. You can find their contact info at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/list.
10/18/2012 1:34:27 PM CDT